Bailey
Bailey was only one year old when her Mom and Dad discovered she had Scoliosis, one of the symptoms she exhibits is Marfan's syndrome, a disease that affects the skeletal and cardiovascular systems. She started wearing a brace shortly thereafter and had her first surgery at age four when doctors inserted a rod in her spine to help straighten it. Read More

Cally
When Cally was diagnosed with scoliosis in the 6th grade, she embarked on a journey that included successful scoliosis surgery, as well as a new role as an orthopaedic patient advocate. Read More

Courtney
I found out I had scoliosis in sixth grade, when the school nurse checked out my class. She sent a note home, and my mom took me to get some x-rays done. Read More

Emily
"I love my Scoliosis!" I bet you don't hear that everyday. Well I do. Having Scoliosis is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I know right now you are probably thinking, "who is this kid?" and "how can she possibly like having Scoliosis?" So let me introduce myself. My name is Emily and I am 16 years old and had surgery at the age of 13. Read More

Erica
My name is Erica and I am 13 years old. In June of 2001 when my family and I were on vacation my mom noticed that my left shoulder blade stuck out a significant amount and I couldn't stand up straight. When we got back home my mom told me to stand up straight. She looked at my back and realized that something was wrong, so she set up an appointment with my family doctor. The doctor told me that I had Scoliosis and recommended that I go see another doctor right away. Read More

Erin
Whenever I get discouraged, I think about what might have happened if I hadn't been given corrective treatment for my Scoliosis and if the curve in my spine, which was a fairly mild 24 degrees, had become much worse. I might not have been able to do my favorite thing: play soccer. As it is now, I play soccer and do pretty much everything that I want to do. Read More

Jean
I have been struggling with back pain for most of my life. When I was 14, my mother tried to teach me to make my own clothes. However, one of my hems was always shorter on one side as a result of one of my hips being higher than the other hip. Concerned by the irregularity, my mother, a school nurse, did a cursory examination of my back. She took me to an orthopedic surgeon and told him about the scoliosis curve that she had detected. He blew us off and told my mother to stop trying to practice medicine. So, my curve progressed. Read More

Jeanette
I had never heard about this problem with the spine, but when my daughter had to go for surgery on her leg, the same nurse from the specialist's office attended to a child next to my daughter. This child could have been anywhere from 5 to 12 years old and she looked like very skinny, sickly and pained. The nurse told me that this other child has the same problem as my daughter and she had already had 8 surgeries. She said if I had not detected my daughter's problem now, she would have been in the same situation as this other little girl some day. Read More

Judy
I knew the gravity of the situation when we were given three doctor's appointments in one week. That week was the first step in a four-year journey of the heart. How could scoliosis be so pronounced and yet a complete surprise for me? My comfort was in knowing that I was not alone. Read More

McKenna
McKenna is a typical 14-year-old girl. Her life is filled with school, friends and her favorite pastime dancing. But McKenna is also very different from other girls she has idiopathic Scoliosis. Join us as we follow McKenna through her surgery and recovery from Scoliosis. Meet McKenna

Marné
When other kids at school notice I am wearing it, they ask me questions, and I tell them all about my brace and Scoliosis. Some of them have never heard of it before, but after we talk, they usually see it as no big deal, which is basically the way I feel about it too. For the most part, I just feel like a regular 13-year-old kid! Read More

Michelle
Since I was definitely having the surgery, I decided to go to the library and to the Internet to learn all I could about Scoliosis and the surgery I was about to have. Having the knowledge and understanding about what was happening to my body really helped prepare me for the process I was about to undergo. Read More

Randi
Since my operation last May, I no longer have my life on hold, and everyday living is so much easier! I had heard other scoliosis surgery patients say they could not do certain things with all the hardware in their spine. I feel like there is NOTHING I cannot do! Read More

Sarah
I have to say; if I had to I could do it all over again I would still have the surgery. Read More

Published: July 22, 2002

Updated: October 03, 2007

As you read this please keep in mind that all treatment and outcome results are specific to the individual patient. Results may vary. Complications, such as infection, blood loss, bowel or bladder problems, are some of the potential adverse risks. Please consult your physician for a complete list of indications, warnings, precautions, adverse events, clinical results, and other important medical information.

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